8 Ways Marketers Can Geo-Target Consumers Through Affiliates

December 2, 2009 By Heather Fletcher

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Two years ago, one of LocalPages' clients needed local foodies who appreciated Italian cuisine. Kale Rey, the owner of a small Italian restaurant in Glendale, Calif., was on the verge of shutting his doors. LocalPages affiliate managers worked with Rey to come up with geographical boundaries and began geo-targeting consumers in his area. In a few months, Rey's restaurant began seeing more customers and, that year, began showing a profit. The business is still open, thanks to geo-targeting consumers through affiliates, Espiritu says.

4. Know the desired geographical boundaries. Decide what local means, Espiritu says. "Take the time to meet with your affiliate and set up geographical boundaries." Is it a city? Or is it a region?

5. Provide affiliates with advertisements, or provide for advertisements, that already have localized keywords included in them. Wiley says: "Note that with Google geo-targeting, Google will show your ad only to people within the regions you specify. So if you specify 'BBQ ribs' as a keyword, and you indicate Chicago as your geo-target region, Google will only display your ad to people in Chicago who search for 'BBQ ribs.' Alternatively or in addition, you can add local terms in your keywords. For example, 'Chicago BBQ ribs.'"

6. If affiliates have localized e-mail lists, ask them to help with a local campaign. Wiley says that affiliates sometimes have their own geo-targeted e-mail databases. Check into using them or running an ad through the affiliates' e-mail deployment.

7. Remember that affiliates often self-select advertisements. If a business provides an affiliate with a geo-targeted advertisement, Wiley says, "They're not going to run it unless they can deliver it to that geo-target."

8. Sign up for the affiliate's e-mail list or visit the site to ensure that the geo-targeting is being done properly. Wiley says that it's important to ensure, for instance, that those who've opted out of e-mail notifications are not solicited. "You really have to have systems in place to monitor all activity all of the time," he says.

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